


Piece of Cake

by Zillabird



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, BDSM, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-17 02:02:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14178141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zillabird/pseuds/Zillabird
Summary: An Ivy League college becomes a lot more expensive when Dick's adoptive father stops footing the bill. Dick can transfer or he can find a new way to afford his expensive education.Transferring feels just too much like giving up, so Dick joins SugarSweet.Slade is everything Dick knows that he should know better about, but alluring nonetheless. He's commanding and demanding. Ruthless, even. Dick should know better, but he likes it all a little too much. At least Slade makes that much easy.





	Piece of Cake

The unfamiliar triple beep tone from his phone interrupted the middle of Dick’s Social Inequality class.

“Phones on silent, please,” the professor reminded the room at large. “I don’t care if you ignore my lecture but try to let the students who actually want to be able to use their degrees after graduating listen.”

The guy next to Dick snickered and Dick flushed before grabbing his phone. He slid the lock open and then pulled down the notifications. He almost didn’t recognize the double heart icon, as new as the app was to his phone, and it could have easily passed for a number of online dating apps. But Dick _did_ remember the icon and flushed twice as hard.

SugarSweet. Dick’s latest attempt at finding a way to earn money that worked around his hectic school schedule and let him afford the prestigious college that he’d applied to when Bruce was still footing the bills. Before Dick’s pride got the best of him and he cut himself off from all of Bruce’s funding.

The guilt ate him up but Dick couldn’t bring himself to go back and apologize, especially when Dick was partially considering it just so he could stay at school.

He used the tip of his thumb to drag the notifications down and read the description.

[You have 6 new messages! Sign in to see which members of SugarSweet want to meet up.]

Six? Dick had only gotten up the nerve to make his profile public this morning.

Another triple beep tone and the six turned into a seven before his eyes.

The Professor let out a sharp sigh and looked right at him. “Last chance, Grayson. Turn it on silent or take off for the day.”

Dick punched the button and opened the app, doing his best to hide the screen while he found the settings and flipped off notifications. “Sorry, Professor. New app, I didn’t know it would make noise.”

“Just keep it quiet,” he said. “Now, Laura is going to pass out today’s newspaper and we’re going to flip through together and find examples of…”

At the end of the class, Dick shoved the textbook and notebooks into his backpack, doing his best not to crumple up his note filled newspaper as he shoved it in as well. Outside the classroom, Dick found a vending machine for lunch. He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Ten, eleven, sixteen, forty one.

Dick had forty one cents to his name. He scanned the vending machine and found a cheap little packet of peanut butter crackers. At least it had more substance than the Skittles that he almost considered buying. He spent his last coins and grabbed the crackers out of the bottom.

He really needed some money, which brought him back to his phone.

Dick pulled it back out, taking a seat on a bench against the wall and dropping his backpack to the right. He opened SugarSweet again and took in the double heart icon at the top and the instant feed of profiles to look through. He was more interested, for the time being, in the little envelope on the side with a bright red seven where a postage stamp would be.

Seven messages. Seven profiles to look through.

Two of them were downright disgusting, graphic descriptions of what the user would do to Dick’s ass which came off a little strong for a first message. Three of them were just phone numbers. Dick had lived with Bruce’s paranoia for too long to give out his phone number just yet, not to mention that Dick was study criminology himself and no. Just no. Dick wasn’t ready for that.

The third message he’d received was a tasteful compliment on the shade of blue in Dick’s eyes and a request for a message back if the profile interested him.

The last message was simplistic at best.

_SW_ _11:44am - I’d like to get to know you better._

Dick had reacted very pleasantly to the third message. That friendly, easy, charming tone was one that Dick could relate to. He instantly went to press that username for the link to the profile and then paused with a glance back down to the final message.

There was nothing overtly pleasant about the message. It wasn’t complimentary or sweet. It was just short and to the point and Dick was linking to the profile before he could really consider his own reasons for doing so.

The photo had been done intentionally vague. There had been a FAQ where it had been pointed out that many of the affluent users were highly protective of their identities. Dick couldn’t argue that. They had expensive, high society reputations to protect. It was a well angled photo of a well fitted suit taken from a mirror. From the top of the photo, Dick could barely make out white or gray facial hair and, in the background, a minimalist but expensive looking bathroom. He was a large man, visible from the photo but also the boasting six foot four inch height listed on the profile.

The summary was just as simplistic as the photo and message Dick had received. It listed name and physical statistics and then read:

_Professional looking for a companion. Do not message me. If I am interested, I will message you._

Asshole.

Dick chewed on the inside of his cheek, eyes flicking over to the estimated annual income. That number had a hell of a lot of zeroes. Dick went to a very expensive college. Dick _needed_ a hell of a lot of zeroes. He backed out of the profile and checked the other message.

A friendly smiling photo. A charmingly well written summary. Damn near as many zeroes as the other profile.

This was the kind of person that Dick should be messaging.

And yet, Dick’s fingers tapped him right back to SW’s profile. There was something alluring about the vague photo and blunt summary. Something that Dick probably didn’t want to examine too closely.

He went back into the messages and clicked into the box, watching the little blinking line before he began typing in a response.

_FlyingRobin 1:11pm – I’d like to get to know you better too._

Dick paused and then typed again.

_FlyingRobin 1:12pm – There wasn’t much to learn from your profile._

Dick nibbled on his peanut butter crackers and ignored the frustrated grumble from his stomach. He packed up his bags and took off for the next class, determined to put it out of his mind until at minimum the end of his classes today.

~~~

Dick didn’t give it another thought for the rest of the day, not until he’d returned to his dorm room. His roommate, a boy he barely saw since the guy spent most of his time at his girlfriend’s apartment off campus, was gone and it left Dick to throw himself on his bed with a huff and let his backpack slide down onto the pile of dirty laundry on the floor.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Monday’s were the worst. Early morning, late night. Taking so many courses had been a good idea when Dick wasn’t working, but now he was trying to teach classes at the rec center and give tours of the campus in between just to make his college tuition and it was exhausting. He dragged his hand down his face and blinked his eyes back open, twisting to grab his phone cord and plug it in. He’d forgotten he’d turned off his notification sounds in class and there was that double heart icon back up in the corner. Dick rolled over and unlocked the phone again.

_SW 6:56pm – I don’t discuss personal details on the phone. Meet me for coffee._

Dick narrowed his eyes a bit at the order.

_FlyingRobin 8:54pm – I suppose we could do that. Did you have a place in mind?_

It wasn’t seconds before the response came through the phone.

_SW 8:54pm – Seventh Street Espresso. Would you like me to send a car?_

Dick frowned at that. A car? To go to a first meeting for coffee?

_FlyingRobin 8:55pm – That won’t be necessary. I can get a cab._

_SW 8:55pm – I understand your caution. I would be more than happy to compensate for the price of the trip. Is Tuesday at four acceptable?_

Dick double checked his school schedule. Tuesday was a good day. He only had one class.

_FlyingRobin 8:57pm – Tuesday at four is fine. I’ll be there._

_FlyingRobin 8:57pm – I’m not entirely sure what you look like. Can you tell me what you’ll be wearing?_

There was a long beat and Dick considered for a moment that the man had abandoned the conversation for the night. Then the heart icon popped on his screen again and Dick opened the app.

_SW 9:04pm – I know what you look like. I look forward to meeting you, Robin._

Dick chewed on his tongue before setting the phone down. This could be one hell of a mistake, but at least the meeting was public.

~~~

Seventh Street Espresso was a high end coffee shop, the kind of place that sold ten dollar espressos and catered to the Gotham wealthy stopping for their morning brew on the way to work.

“Nice place,” the cabbie said.

Dick nodded. It wasn’t his first time going; he’d taken a few socialites here when he was still living with Bruce. It wasn’t a place that Dick would go out of his way for, though. The coffee was overpriced and the people were sort of standoffish. It was well populated though, which served Dick’s first and foremost need for the moment. He stepped out of the cab and then leaned against the window. “What do I owe you?”

“This should cover it.”

The voice that accompanied the hand that pushed past Dick’s face into the window was gruff, husky. The cabbie wasted no time in taking the hundred dollar bill and nodding at the man.

Dick twisted and crossed his arms over his chest. Dick recognized the chest in front of him from the photo, which might have said something about the number of times he’d visited SW’s profile trying to glean any new hints about the man he was meeting. The face was new. He was handsome, older. The latter Dick had expected, the first was a pleasant relief. An eyepatch crossed over his eye which was a different sort of surprise. Not a problem, but unusual.

“SW?” Dick asked.

“Slade, actually,” he replied. He held his hand out to Dick who took it and shook firmly. He had nothing on the strength behind the hand that nearly dwarfed his. “Robin?”

Dick hesitated and then admitted, “Dick. Richard, but I go by Dick.”

The man’s lips quirked but he didn’t comment on the nickname. “Would you care to join me inside?”

“I can afford my own cab rides,” Dick pointed out, walking beside Slade as he led him inside.

“Yes, I did notice your profile was new,” Slade said, as if that was a reasonable response to Dick’s statement.

Dick took a seat at the table Slade motioned to. “What does that have to do with paying for my cab?”

A woman walked over and set two coffees down. Slade’s appeared to be black, something which made Dick want to wrinkle his nose, but the one sat in front of Dick was some sort of frothy, sugary concoction. Dick inhaled and smelled cinnamon.

“Your profile said you like desserts and sweets,” Slade said. “I hope that will do for today.”

Dick sipped it, licking the cream off his lips. He nodded. “I appreciate it. Thank you.”

Slade leaned back against the wooden chair. “In response to your question, new profiles imply people new to this scene. New sugar babies-“ Slade’s tone implied that he might like that term about as much as Dick did. “-who heard about this opportunity from online forums or know someone who knows someone who has been doing this. You all come with a lack of fundamental understanding of how this works.”

“And how does this work?” Dick asked.

“You provide companionship,” Slade said. “I provide everything else.”

Dick rubbed his thumb over the side of the porcelain mug. “Can I ask a question?”

“I suppose,” Slade said.

“I’ve read forums and blog posts and talked to a couple of the other… other sugar babies,” Dick said. “But I guess I just don’t understand. If it’s about a relationship, why not date traditionally? If it’s about sex, why not pay for an escort?”

Slade glanced at his watch for a beat and then leaned forward. “Relationships, traditionally, take time. Time is a resource that I don’t always have access to. It’s a dance I don’t want to keep track of. Escorts don’t provide everything I want. A sugar baby does, or should.”

“What all do you want?” Dick asked.

“Companionship. Physically goes without saying but I also make several international trips and would otherwise make them alone. I enjoy a presence in my apartment from time to time. Someone to talk to, when I wish to,” Slade said.

“But not a traditional relationship,” Dick said.

“No,” Slade said. “Not a traditional relationship. I like to keep things a business relationship. We start with a few meetings like this. We make sure we’re compatible enough to make this work and we come to a mutually beneficial agreement on your responsibilities to me and my responsibilities to you.”

Dick sipped from the coffee and then blew out a breath. “It still sounds like prostitution.”

“And yet you signed up for the site,” Slade said.

“Yeah, well, college is expensive,” Dick said.

Slade hummed at that. “You’re very attractive and you’re charming. Charming, but not afraid to speak your mind. I’d like to move this to the stage where we discuss our arrangement should we go through with it. You still have every right to back out, but this would at least give you the chance to set your terms and get comfortable with them.”

Dick considered and then nodded. “Alright. What are your expectations?”

“Exclusivity,” Slade started. “I will compensate you handsomely for that but it is a significant expectation. If you’re in a relationship outside of this, I expect you to tell me now.”

“I’m single,” Dick said.

“Good. If you would like to begin a traditional relationship outside of our arrangement, I expect you to tell me immediately,” Slade said.

Dick nodded. “I can do that.”

Slade folded his hands on the table. “I would expect your schedule for the month by the tenth of the previous month so that I can plan for your time accordingly. You mentioned class, when you’re not in class I expect that you’ll be available unless you tell me otherwise.”

Dick pulled his shoulders back. “That’s a lot.”

“You’ll be well compensated,” Slade countered.

“Is there enough compensation to sign my life over when I’m not in school?” Dick asked.

“That’s not what I’m asking for. There will be many times that I won’t even be in the country to need you,” Slade said. “And if you request a night to yourself, spend time with your college friends, go home to family… that time will be yours. I prefer knowing in advance but as long as you don’t make a habit of letting me know at the last minute I do understand things coming up.”

When it was phrased like that, Dick supposed it didn’t sound that bad.

Dick nodded. “And compensation…”

“I’m open to negotiations,” Slade said.

Dick had been hoping for Slade to suggest something, give Dick an idea of where to ballpark. Dick didn’t really know what the going rate for this was. He rubbed the back of his neck.

Slade seemed to take pity on him. “Would you like me to tell you what I had in mind before we came?”

“Please,” Dick said.

“You mentioned college. I’ll cover tuition on a month to month basis, assuming that we have maintained our arrangement through the month. If you live on campus, I would prefer that you get an apartment off campus,” Slade said. “I will cover rent, utilities, and groceries.”

“Why can’t I stay on campus?” Dick asked.

“With access to my personal cell and personal details, my identity is at risk of being revealed to someone who may attempt to take advantage of the situation,” Slade said.

“I don’t have a car to get back to campus,” Dick said. “I have to stay on campus.”

“We can go shopping for a car in a few weeks, that should be plenty of time for us to find an acceptable apartment,” Slade said.

Dick pressed both palms against the table. “Wait. Slow down. Just slow down.” Slade arched a brow. “This is too much.”

“Too much?” Slade asked.

“Tuition, rent, a new car-“ Dick started. “That’s too much. What you’re implying, asking for, it’s not worth that much money.”

“Don’t you think that’s my decision to make?” Slade asked.

“I think you get to make enough decisions,” Dick said. “You want me to live where you want me to live, be there when you call-“

“Stop,” Slade said. Dick snapped his teeth together. “You’re painting this like an abusive relationship. This is a business transaction. I said I was open to negotiations. Take a breath and negotiate.”

Dick swallowed and sat back. “I’ll move off campus but I get to choose the apartment.”

“I’d like you to pick a safer part of town but I concede that,” Slade said. “What else?”

“I have a very heavy course load. I need to know that I will still be able to handle my classes and coursework,” Dick said.

“I respect that your education is your first priority,” Slade said. “Be upfront and honest about it and if you need time to put that first, I will understand.”

Slade’s easy agreement took the air out of Dick’s sails. “Right.”

“May I continue?” Slade asked. Dick nodded. “Good. We’ve covered tuition, transportation, rent, utilities, and food. I will cover your travel expenses should we go out of the country and I will provide you with a healthy spending stipend to do with as you wish.”

“Healthy?” Dick asked.

“I planned to budget in for three thousand dollars but if you need more…”

“No,” Dick said instantly. “That’s enough. That’s _more_ than enough.”

Slade’s coffee was half empty and he swirled it around in the cup a few times before pushing it away. “Is this an arrangement that we can come to terms with?”

“How does sex work?” Dick asked.

Slade lifted that single blue eye up to Dick’s face. “If you need me to explain, perhaps you’re not as prepared for this as I thought.”

“No,” Dick said, feeling his cheeks flush. “I mean, what are the expectations there.”

“I expect that we are eventually physical. But if, after a time, you don’t feel comfortable with it then we’ll discuss it from there,” Slade said. “It may mean that we cancel our arrangement.”

Dick felt a lot better knowing that he could back out, wasn’t tied to this. It was a good deal, hard to turn down, but if he needed to he could. “Okay.”

“As for the particulars, I think those are best discussed in private,” Slade said.

“I agree,” Dick said.

Slade checked his watch again. “I’m sorry. I have a meeting I need to get to. I believe this went well.”

Dick stood. “I… yes, I think so.”

Slade pulled another hundred out of his wallet and handed it to Dick. “For the cab ride home.”

“I can pay for my own-“

Slade slid the wallet back into his pocket. “Richard, you will find that I have more money than I know what to do with. I happen to enjoy choosing to spend it on my companionship which happens to be you, for the moment at least. I will also gift things at my leisure and take you to nice places on my dime. You might as well get used to it, at least as long as you are dealing with me. Perhaps not everyone on that site is as generous, but I hold myself up to the standard of being able to provide for the sugar baby keeping me company.”

Dick sighed and took the money. “Thank you.”

“I’ll be in contact,” Slade said.

Dick just nodded. “I look forward to it.”


End file.
